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Subfield · Materials Science

Polymers and Plastics research

Polymers and Plastics is a subfield of Materials Science. Science Explorer counts 481k research works in it since 1950. 17.6% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: substance composed of macromolecules with repeating structural units.

Research works
481k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
85k
per year above
Top-10% rate
17.6%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
14
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+21%
the tick is no change

What is Polymers and Plastics research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Nanocomposites, Conducting Polymers, Biomedical Applications, PEDOT:PSS, Polyaniline, Mechanical Properties. Gaining share since 2009–13: Composites, Natural Fibers, Polymer Composites, Self-Healing, Fire-Retardant Materials. Losing share: Elemental Sulfur, Polyimides, Thermal Stability, Dendrimers.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 39 words, with their numbers
  1. Nanocomposites47k◆ 1.10×4 topics
  2. Conducting Polymers37k◆ 1.12×2 topics
  3. Biomedical Applications34k▲ 1.17×2 topics
  4. PEDOT:PSS32k▲ 1.27×1 topic
  5. Polyaniline32k▲ 1.27×1 topic
  6. Mechanical Properties18k▲ 1.24×2 topics
  7. Nanoparticles16k▼ 0.66×3 topics
  8. Composites12k▲ 2.0×1 topic
  9. Natural Fibers12k▲ 2.0×1 topic
  10. Thermal Properties11k▼ 0.78×2 topics
  11. Biodegradable Polymers10k▲ 1.26×2 topics
  12. Electrochromic8,068◆ 1.03×1 topic
  13. Tungsten Oxide8,068◆ 1.03×1 topic
  14. Polymer Composites8,064▲ 1.44×1 topic
  15. Self-Healing8,064▲ 1.44×1 topic
  16. Layered Silicate7,994▼ 0.68×1 topic
  17. Polymer7,994▼ 0.68×1 topic
  18. Fabric Comfort7,313▼ 0.71×1 topic
  19. Moisture Management7,313▼ 0.71×1 topic
  20. Thermal Stability6,084▼ 0.54×2 topics
  21. Polymer Blends5,197▼ 0.64×1 topic
  22. Polymer Crystallization5,197▼ 0.64×1 topic
  23. Elemental Sulfur4,870▼ 0.52×1 topic
  24. Polyimides4,870▼ 0.52×1 topic
  25. Fire-Retardant Materials4,284▲ 1.34×1 topic
  26. Flame Retardant Polymers4,284▲ 1.34×1 topic
  27. Characterization3,698▼ 0.69×2 topics
  28. Synthesis3,698▼ 0.69×2 topics
  29. Dielectric Properties3,206◆ 1.03×1 topic
  30. Polyvinyl Alcohol3,206◆ 1.03×1 topic
  31. Dendrimers2,826▼ 0.61×1 topic
  32. Hyperbranched Polymers2,826▼ 0.61×1 topic
  33. Polymer Foaming2,103▼ 0.85×1 topic
  34. Supercritical Carbon Dioxide2,103▼ 0.85×1 topic
  35. Thermal Degradation2,086▼ 0.79×2 topics
  36. Plasticizers1,214▼ 0.62×1 topic
  37. Poly(vinyl chloride)1,214▼ 0.62×1 topic
  38. Ion-Exchange Properties871▲ 1.28×1 topic
  39. Polymer Resins871▲ 1.28×1 topic

Which countries lead Polymers and Plastics research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and India rank highest in Polymers and Plastics. By volume, China and India publish the most (29k and 9.2k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #1 all time 23.9% top 10% · 29k works
  2. 2 United States · #2 all time 16.0% top 10% · 5.4k works
  3. 3 India · #7 all time 14.2% top 10% · 9.2k works
  4. 4 South Korea · #5 all time 19.1% top 10% · 3.2k works
  5. 5 United Kingdom · #4 all time 21.0% top 10% · 1.3k works
  6. 6 Hong Kong · #14 all time 39.2% top 10% · 417 works
  7. 7 Australia · #9 all time 26.1% top 10% · 784 works
  8. 8 Saudi Arabia · #21 all time 23.7% top 10% · 1.3k works
  9. 9 France · #8 all time 10.4% top 10% · 2.1k works
  10. 10 Germany · #3 all time 10.8% top 10% · 1.9k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 48 countries ranked in Polymers and Plastics. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Polymers and Plastics

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 29k works
  2. 2 India 9.2k works
  3. 3 United States 5.4k works
  4. 4 South Korea 3.2k works
  5. 5 Japan 2.5k works
  6. 6 Türkiye 2.4k works
  7. 7 France 2.1k works
  8. 8 Russia 2k works
  9. 9 Germany 1.9k works
  10. 10 Iran 1.7k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 49.3%India: 15.4%United States: 9.0%South Korea: 5.3%6 others listed: 21.0%49%largest
China29k · 49.3%India9,226 · 15.4%United States5,355 · 9.0%South Korea3,156 · 5.3%6 others listed13k · 21.0%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Polymers and Plastics research?

Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) ranks first in Polymers and Plastics on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Sichuan University and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #1 all time 29.7% top 10% · 664 works
  2. 2 Sichuan University China · Chengdu · #2 all time 27.2% top 10% · 608 works
  3. 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #12 all time 32.0% top 10% · 310 works
  4. 4 South China University of Technology China · Guangzhou · #4 all time 26.9% top 10% · 477 works
  5. 5 Northwestern Polytechnical University China · Xi'an · #34 all time 31.6% top 10% · 285 works
  6. 6 Harbin Institute of Technology China · Harbin · #26 all time 28.2% top 10% · 324 works
  7. 7 Donghua University China · Shanghai · #28 all time 20.6% top 10% · 478 works
  8. 8 Beijing University of Chemical Technology China · Beijing · #43 all time 24.2% top 10% · 446 works
  9. 9 Tsinghua University China · Beijing · #10 all time 30.3% top 10% · 242 works
  10. 10 Saveetha University India · Chennai 27.2% top 10% · 280 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 250 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Polymers and Plastics.

Top 100 Polymers and Plastics institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of Sciences China 664 works
  2. 2 Sichuan University China 608 works
  3. 3 Donghua University China 479 works
  4. 4 South China University of Technology China 477 works
  5. 5 Beijing University of Chemical Technology China 446 works
  6. 6 Qingdao University of Science and Technology China 432 works
  7. 7 University of Science and Technology of China China 334 works
  8. 8 Harbin Institute of Technology China 324 works
  9. 9 Nanjing Forestry University China 320 works
  10. 10 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences China 310 works

Who are the leading researchers in Polymers and Plastics?

Among the most productive authors in Polymers and Plastics, Henry J. Snaith, Jean‐Marie Tarascon and Paul J. Flory rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Henry J. Snaith United Kingdom · #217 worldwide 6.6k citations · 125 works
  2. 2 Jean‐Marie Tarascon France · #1,069 worldwide 4.9k citations · 166 works
  3. 3 Paul J. Flory United States · #1,089 worldwide 3.7k citations · 100 works
  4. 4 Jack L. Koenig United States · #1,155 worldwide 2.9k citations · 117 works
  5. 5 Anders Hagfeldt Sweden · #1,363 worldwide 4.6k citations · 126 works
  6. 6 Michaël Grätzel Switzerland · #1,491 worldwide 13k citations · 436 works
  7. 7 John D. Ferry United States · #1,803 worldwide 2.1k citations · 92 works
  8. 8 Bruce Dunn United States · #1,913 worldwide 4.1k citations · 117 works
  9. 9 David Hui United States · #1,955 worldwide 2.7k citations · 102 works
  10. 10 Liming Dai United States · #2,364 worldwide 4.2k citations · 144 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,301 highest-output authors in Polymers and Plastics. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Polymers and Plastics researchers

Where is Polymers and Plastics research done?

The largest centres of Polymers and Plastics research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Nanjing (China) and Xi'an (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Alès, Pittsburg and Beijinglu.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 4.6k works
  2. 2 Shanghai China 2.1k works
  3. 3 Nanjing China 1.5k works
  4. 4 Xi'an China 1.4k works
  5. 5 Seoul South Korea 1.3k works
  6. 6 Chengdu China 1.2k works
  7. 7 Guangzhou China 1.2k works
  8. 8 Wuhan China 1.2k works
  9. 9 Hangzhou China 1k works
  10. 10 Qingdao China 990 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. AlèsFR · 26.8 works25×
  2. PittsburgUS · 39.4 works21×
  3. BeijingluCN · 25.3 works16×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Polymers and Plastics than the world average.

See Polymers and Plastics on the map

Polymers and Plastics research by country

The best places for Polymers and Plastics research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Polymers and Plastics?

Among universities, judged by research, University of Babylon, Bangladesh University of Textiles and Beijing University of Chemical Technology score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 26.03%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →University of Babylon: 186, 31.3%Bangladesh University of Textiles: 76, 20.4%Beijing University of Chemical Technology: 446, 24.2%Nanjing Forestry University: 320, 31.9%Donghua University: 478, 20.6%National Textile University: 95, 9.7%Southern University of Science and Technology: 120, 40.7%King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok: 92, 33.8%Saveetha University: 280, 27.2%University of Calicut: 64, 20.5%Nanjing Forestry Uni…University of BabylonBeijing University o…Bangladesh Universit…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1University of Babylon Iraq 66.531.3%8.6×186 +453.8%
2Bangladesh University of Textiles Bangladesh 59.620.4%36.9×76 +1830.7%
3Beijing University of Chemical Technology China 58.624.2%12.4×446 -26.6%
4Nanjing Forestry University China 57.531.9%8.4×320 -18.7%
5Donghua University China 56.520.6%15.8×478 -40.3%
6National Textile University Pakistan 55.89.7%39.5×95 +288.4%
7Southern University of Science and Technology China 55.340.7%2.7×120 +1559.3%
8King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok Thailand 55.233.8%8.6×92 +58.8%
9Saveetha University India 54.827.2%3.5×280 +442.5%
10University of Calicut India 54.620.5%11.4×64 +183.2%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Polymers and Plastics research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 21% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites, Polymer composites and self-healing and Conducting polymers and applications.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites+226%
  2. Polymer composites and self-healing+111%
  3. Conducting polymers and applications+107%
  4. Transition Metal Oxide Nanomaterials+98%
  5. Flame retardant materials and properties+89%
  6. Polymer Nanocomposite Synthesis and Irradiation+71%
  7. Polymer crystallization and properties-10%
  8. Polymer Science and PVC-19%
  9. Synthesis and properties of polymers-20%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Polymers and Plastics include?

Conducting polymers and …116kConducting polymers and applications: 116k fractional worksPolymer Nanocomposites and Properties: 50k fractional worksPolymer crystallization and properties: 46k fractional worksSynthesis and properties of polymers: 45k fractional worksTextile materials and evaluations: 45k fractional worksNatural Fiber Reinforced Composites: 37k fractional worksTransition Metal Oxide N…37kTransition Metal Oxide Nanomaterials: 37k fractional worksPolymer composites and self-healing: 30k fractional worksFlame retardant materials and properties: 17k fractional worksDendrimers and Hyperbranched Polymers: 16k fractional worksPolymer Nanocomposite Synthesis and Irradiation: 15k fractional worksPolymer Science and PVC: 13k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.